Almost three-quarters of senior business managers in the GCC are not satisfied with their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, according to a survey conducted by polling firm YouGov.

Almost three-quarters of senior business managers in the GCC are not satisfied with their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, according to a survey conducted by polling firm YouGov. Of the 342 respondents polled — all senior business managers at medium to large organisations in the GCC — 71% admitted to being “not entirely satisfied” with their ERP systems. That could be down to how the systems were implemented: while just 14% of respondents cited quality of implementation partner as an important criteria in first selecting an ERP system, nearly half, 49%, of people said they would “ensure that the implementation partner is of the highest quality” in selecting an ERP system second time around. “This shows that local companies have matured tremendously and understand that the quality of the implementation partner plays a vital role in making ERP a successful business project,” said Marc Van der Ven, managing director for Sage Accpac Middle East, which commissioned the YouGov survey. The most important factors cited in selecting an ERP system for the first time were product functionality, cited by 56% of respondents, and product technology, which just over half, 52%, of respondents said was important. When it came to choosing a system again, managers looked at their own needs and the quality of implementation partner, with 60% saying they would “thoroughly research and document the company’s requirements” before making that selection again. “GCC companies do realise that unless they thoroughly research their own company’s requirements prior to selecting an ERP system, they will struggle to make the project a business success and contribute to the bottom line of the company,” Van der Ven said. Improving communication of project goals within the company (56%) and getting the best people in the organisation involved (49%) were the most important changes managers said they would make to the implementation process, the survey showed. “This is another indication that GCC organisations have matured and understand what it takes for an ERP project to succeed,” said Van der Ven.